Gaza: Israel has rejected a demand for the release of two Hamas commanders as part of any exchange for a captured Israeli soldier, a source close to negotiations said Wednesday, signalling talks had hit a snag.
"Hamas still insists on its demands," the source, who declined to be named, told, naming the two top Hamas prisoners as Ibrahim Hamed and Abdallah Barghouti.
An Israeli official said: "We're not willing to discuss publicly at this stage the names of the people who might or might not be in a swap."
Hamas negotiators who have been consulting their exiled leadership in Damascus would return Wednesday evening to Egypt, which together with Germany has been mediating the indirect talks between the enemies.
Senior Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya was quoted by a pro-Hamas website as saying Israel was responsible for undermining a deal because it had not agreed to the demands of the Palestinian factions holding captured soldier Gilad Shalit.
The Palestinian factions hope to exchange Shalit, held since 2006, for hundreds of prisoners held by Israel.
Abdallah Barghouti is serving 67 life terms for his role in attacks on Israelis. Hamed was head of Hamas armed wing in the West Bank before his arrest.
Israel has long balked at granting amnesty to Palestinians jailed for attacks that killed its citizens. While signalling flexibility in its bid to recover Shalit, the Israeli government is wary of a domestic backlash over a deal that bolsters Hamas.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday an agreement had not been reached and might not happen following speculation that one could be reached by the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday Friday.
Bureau Report
First Published: Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 22:28